Texas cop shot twice, suspect in custody

Officer Bradley Durst, 29, was shot twice — one shot through the neck and another that entered through the right lower abdomen

By Jennifer Rios
San Angelo Standard-Times

SAN ANGELO, Texas — A San Angelo man accused of shooting a Fredericksburg police officer during a traffic stop faces three counts of attempted capital murder of a peace officer.

Each charge carries a $250,000 bail.

Robert Adrian Rendon, 31, was arrested early Saturday and was in custody in Bexar County.

About 1:42 a.m. a Fredericksburg police officer conducted a traffic stop in the 1600 block of East Main Street, Fredericksburg police said in a news release. The officer approached the vehicle, at which time the driver leaned out and fired multiple shots from a handgun.

Officer Bradley Durst, 29, was shot twice — one shot through the neck and another that entered through the right lower abdomen, according to the release. He called on his radio for help two minutes after the stop was initiated.

A Gillespie County deputy and a first responder were the first on scene, according to the release. They took Durst to the Hill Country Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. He was later taken to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was expected to undergo surgery, according to the release.

By Saturday afternoon he was listed in stable condition.

Police said Rendon fled the scene and was pursued by several agencies through multiple counties along the Interstate 10 corridor.

The suspect was spotted by Comal County deputies on U.S. 281 headed toward San Antonio about 3 a.m., according to the San Antonio Police Department.

"The suspect was reportedly driving erratically attempting to elude them and firing his weapon at pursuing officers," the Fredericksburg release states.

A San Antonio police officer returned fire, and the suspect's vehicle was struck several times but the driver was not hit, according to the department.

About 4:07 a.m. Rendon reportedly rolled his vehicle in Bexar County, near Foster Road, and was taken into custody. He reportedly suffered injuries in the crash that were not life-threatening.

Durst has served with the Fredericksburg Police Department 2 1/2 years and has four years and 10 months of experience in law enforcement.

Rendon reportedly has ties to the Fredericksburg community.

Rendon's family could not be reached Saturday for comment.

San Antonio police reported that Rendon had a rifle with two high-capacity magazines and a semi-automatic handgun.

In 2007 Rendon pleaded guilty to a second-degree felony drug case and was sentenced to nine years in prison by 391st District Judge Tom Gossett. He has two third-degree felony charges pending in Tom Green County — evading arrest with a vehicle and possession of a controlled substance between 1 and 4 grams.